Pc John Phillips said of the UK offenders: "It is hard to believe that anyone, let alone grown men, could be so mindless as to try to surf off the side of a train ... it would only take a minor slip for them to fall between the train and the platform.

"If the danger isn't a deterrent then I hope the threat of police action might be. Those who survive this type of incident can rest assured that BTP will do everything possible to trace them and put them before the courts.

"We simply will not tolerate any behaviour which puts lives at risk. The railway is not a playground and should not be treated as such."